But first, a medical update: Bill saw the radiologist cancer doctor who put a scope down his nose and said there is no tumor there, that she thinks it is residual detritus from the radiation damage. He has a PET scan scheduled for Feb and we think they would be doing something earlier if they thought it was cancer. He also is being referred to the ENT doctor they have been discussing sending him to. We wait…
Back to our regularly scheduled program.
When I worked for the phone company in the late 60’s-early 70’s, I worked with beautiful girl named Sue Boynton. I say girl because we were 18 years old in the late 60’s. She was beautiful, intelligent, funny, and a joy to be around. She did and said the most outrageous things to me, especially when I was on the phone with a customer and could not burst laughing without drawing the evil eyes of the overseers.
One particularly hairy and bad morning, I was in a “being polite” battle with a petulant customer and Sue comes up to me and recites this poem, complete with gestures and emphasis-
Choosing Shoes
by Frida Wolfe
New shoes, new shoes, Red and pink and blue shoes. Tell me, what would you choose, If they’d let us buy?
Buckle shoes, bow shoes, Pretty pointy-toe shoes, Strappy, cappy low shoes; Let’s have some to try.
Bright shoes, white shoes, Dandy-dance-by-night shoes, Perhaps-a-little-tight shoes, Like some? So would I.
BUT Flat shoes, fat shoes, Stump-along-like-that shoes, Wipe-them-on-the-mat shoes, That’s the sort they’ll buy.
I have remembered it from that day to this, almost word for word, having heard it only once but I can see her in front of me, dancing in “perhaps a little tight shoes” and stumping “along like that shoes”. She saved my job that day, she gave me the break I needed to get control. She stays ever 18, slim and blonde, warm smile and boisterous laugh. I am sure this was just a passing moment for her and in that memory, I am 18, slim and red headed, toothy smile and contagious laugh.
Have a good day and remember someone beloved from your past.